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You Bring Nothing to the Table | Benjer McVeigh | January 25, 2026
Worship with us 9 + 11am
390 N 400 E
Bountiful, UT 84010
https://flourishinggrace.org/plan-your-visit
In Luke 18:9–17, Jesus tells a parable that confronts one of the deepest instincts of the human heart: the need to justify ourselves. He speaks to those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and, as a result, treated others with contempt. Through the story of a Pharisee and a tax collector praying in the temple, Jesus exposes the danger of turning faith into an achievement project and reminds us that the kingdom of God is received, not earned.
The Pharisee’s prayer sounds impressive on the surface. He fasts, he tithes, and he obeys the law. Yet his prayer is ultimately directed at himself. He measures his standing before God by comparing himself to others and concludes that God should be pleased with him because of what he has done. In contrast, the tax collector stands at a distance, unable even to lift his eyes to heaven. His prayer is simple and desperate: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” This is not a request for a second chance to try harder, but an appeal for God to cover what his sin has broken. Jesus shocks His audience by declaring that the tax collector, not the Pharisee, goes home justified.
This moment reveals a core truth of the gospel: righteousness before God is not achieved through moral performance but received through humility. To be justified is to be made right by God, and Scripture makes clear that this is God’s work, not ours. When we believe we bring something to the table—our discipline, our obedience, our spiritual résumé—we inevitably begin to look down on others. Self-righteousness and contempt always grow together.
Jesus immediately reinforces this teaching by welcoming children, even infants, and declaring that the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. In the ancient world, children had no status and nothing to offer. They were entirely dependent. Jesus is not praising innocence or trustfulness as much as He is highlighting dependence. Children receive; they do not contribute. In the same way, we enter the kingdom by bringing nothing but our need.
This truth reshapes everything. It transforms our intimacy with God, because we stop trying to earn His presence and instead learn to yield to His grace. It reframes our purpose in the kingdom, reminding us that God works through weakness, not self-sufficiency. And it changes how we share Jesus with others. Contempt never leads people to transformation, but humility rooted in grace is compelling and life-giving.
The message of Luke 18 is both humbling and freeing. We are not saved because of what we do, and we are not sustained by our performance. We bring nothing to the table but our sin, our need, and our brokenness—and Jesus brings everything. This is the posture of the kingdom, and it is the good news that changes us and, through us, the world.
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By Flourishing Grace Church
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Worship with us 9 + 11am
390 N 400 E
Bountiful, UT 84010
https://flourishinggrace.org/plan-your-visit
In Luke 18:9–17, Jesus tells a parable that confronts one of the deepest instincts of the human heart: the need to justify ourselves. He speaks to those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and, as a result, treated others with contempt. Through the story of a Pharisee and a tax collector praying in the temple, Jesus exposes the danger of turning faith into an achievement project and reminds us that the kingdom of God is received, not earned.
The Pharisee’s prayer sounds impressive on the surface. He fasts, he tithes, and he obeys the law. Yet his prayer is ultimately directed at himself. He measures his standing before God by comparing himself to others and concludes that God should be pleased with him because of what he has done. In contrast, the tax collector stands at a distance, unable even to lift his eyes to heaven. His prayer is simple and desperate: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” This is not a request for a second chance to try harder, but an appeal for God to cover what his sin has broken. Jesus shocks His audience by declaring that the tax collector, not the Pharisee, goes home justified.
This moment reveals a core truth of the gospel: righteousness before God is not achieved through moral performance but received through humility. To be justified is to be made right by God, and Scripture makes clear that this is God’s work, not ours. When we believe we bring something to the table—our discipline, our obedience, our spiritual résumé—we inevitably begin to look down on others. Self-righteousness and contempt always grow together.
Jesus immediately reinforces this teaching by welcoming children, even infants, and declaring that the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. In the ancient world, children had no status and nothing to offer. They were entirely dependent. Jesus is not praising innocence or trustfulness as much as He is highlighting dependence. Children receive; they do not contribute. In the same way, we enter the kingdom by bringing nothing but our need.
This truth reshapes everything. It transforms our intimacy with God, because we stop trying to earn His presence and instead learn to yield to His grace. It reframes our purpose in the kingdom, reminding us that God works through weakness, not self-sufficiency. And it changes how we share Jesus with others. Contempt never leads people to transformation, but humility rooted in grace is compelling and life-giving.
The message of Luke 18 is both humbling and freeing. We are not saved because of what we do, and we are not sustained by our performance. We bring nothing to the table but our sin, our need, and our brokenness—and Jesus brings everything. This is the posture of the kingdom, and it is the good news that changes us and, through us, the world.